Sydney’s inner city pulls its party shoes back on

Sydney is on the verge of a nightlife renaissance after years of Covid-19 and lockout laws robbed a generation of a good night out in the NSW capital.

It was time to party when the crowd jammed into The Abercrombie on its opening night last month after almost 10 years in hibernation. Picture: Maria Boyadgis

Sydney is on the verge of a nightlife renaissance after years of Covid-19 and lockout laws robbed a generation of a good night out in the NSW capital.

Ushering in the good times over summer is the reopening of former institution The Abercrombie in inner-city Chippendale.

After about a decade closed, the venue reopened two weeks ago, armed with a 24-hour ­ licence and a new dancefloor ­inside the 100-year-old pub.

Hospitality group Solotel bought the venue in 2016 and chief operating officer Ben Stephens said plans to refurbish the venue had been delayed by the pandemic.

He said reopening the venue became a priority as it became ­apparent several venues hadn’t survived the pandemic.

“There’s a generation of ­people that have never had that opportunity to be able to go late night and be able to do it on their terms and safely as well,” Mr Stephens said.

The state government introduced lockout laws on inner Sydney in 2014 in a bid to curb alcohol-fuelled violence following the one-punch deaths of Thomas Kelly and Daniel Christie.

Restrictions on venue entry and drinks service haemorrhaged billions from the night-time economy and damaged Sydney’s international reputation as a party city.

Compounding the damage to the city’s nightlife was two years of pandemic, which brought lockdowns, density restrictions and disrupted tourism. But there are signs of life, ­although it make take awhile ­before the city returns to its former glory.

Mary’s Group co-founder Jake Smyth fulfilled a long-held dream last month when he watched US rock darlings The Killers play at the newly opened Liberty Hall venue at the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park.

The hospitality guru even slung the band some burgers after the show.

“I think it was two cheeseburgers, maybe a couple of mushroom burgers, fried chicken and mash and gravy,” said Mr Smyth, adding he put the finishing touches on the band’s meal personally.

“From what I hear they were pretty keen on it; we were pretty thrilled to be able to offer that. Bit of a dream for me.”

Mr Smyth said some ticket sales had not been as strong as ­expected and the weather had been disastrous throughout the year but living without the imminent threat of lockdown gave programmers renewed confidence.

“I think you can see the hunger and the desire from promoters, from artists, from festival organisers,” he said.

“We’re incredibly excited by not just this summer but looking forward the next two to five years of just seeing some really incredible growth.”

There are about 30 per cent more events in Sydney’s city centre over January and February compared to last year, according to data from Ticketmaster.

NSW 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues said confidence was returning to Sydney operators despite staff shortages, and the city’s nightlife had never been more ­diverse.

“In 2022 we’ve seen a turbocharging of Sydney’s nightlife ­revival,” he said.

“Nightlife is constantly evolving, and we’ve seen it come back to Sydney in a different, but stronger way than before.”

The total number of people ­visiting Sydney’s CBD on the weekend is now 101 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, according to a DSpark report commissioned by industry group Tourism and Transport Forum.

There are also more Sydneysiders in the inner city on weeknights after 10pm, peaking at 116 per cent of pre-Covid levels ­between 3am and 4am.

KPMG urban economist Terry Rawnsley said Wednesdays were proving the most popular night to be out on the town as workers continued to stay home on Mondays and Fridays.

“Wednesday being hump day is the day you get the most people crossing over in the office,” he said.

“If that’s the busiest day in the office at least you know your peers and co-workers and friends in the industry will be in and around the city.

The unemployment rate in Sydney is the lowest on record at 3 per cent, while the participation rate is in line with the highest on record at about 68 per cent.